An exhibition by Ondřej Michálek in the Botanical Gardens of the Faculty of Science will offer a comprehensive selection of his graphic works from 2017 to 2024, with the motif of the garden as a unifying element. The opening took place on 15 October, and the exhibition, entitled “The Gardens Within”, will run until 31 January 2025, and will be accessible during the garden’s opening hours.
“The Josef Otruba Hall in the Botanical Gardens has been conceived from the beginning as an exhibition space. We have a clear vision to bring and exhibit themes that reflect biology, botany, nature conservation, environmental issues, and the relationship of man to the landscape and his surroundings. The exhibitions can be professional, popularizing, or also purely artistic, with free choice of media and means of expression by the artists,” said Václav Dvořák, head of the Botanical Gardens.
Ondřej Michálek works at the Department of Art Education, Faculty of Education, Palacký University. “Mr. Michálek is one of the prominent personalities of Czech graphic art; his works are held in leading Czech and foreign public collections. He is the laureate of the 25th Vladimír Boudník Award for his lifetime contribution to the art industry. His work evokes in me admiration, for the limits of graphic techniques that are once again being exceeded. At the same time, as a botanist, I enjoy looking at his fantastical structures on paper, which make me wonder what kind of plant could have been their inspiration,” added Dvořák.
During the exhibition, there will be an artist’s guided tour and the launch of his publication Práce/Works 1969–2024. The dates will be specified on the Botanical Gardens’ website and on social media.